Core Needle Biopsy Helpful With Cervical Lymphadenopathy

(HealthDay News) — Core needle biopsy (CNB) is a more sensitive tool than fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) for cervical lymphadenopathy evaluation, according to a study published in the February issue of Head & Neck.

Yoon-Jong Ryu, MD, from Seoul National University College of Medicine in South Korea, and colleagues evaluated the value of CNB compared to FNAC in 208 consecutive patients with cervical lymphadenopathy.

The researchers found that the sensitivity and negative predictive value for critical disease (lymphoma, carcinoma, and tuberculosis) were significantly higher with CNB (P=0.006 and 0.001, respectively), compared to FNAC. The sensitivity of CNB was significantly higher (P=0.009) for the diagnosis of lymphoma. With CNB the rate of open biopsy for confirmative diagnosis was significantly lower (P=0.014).

"CNB is beneficial for initial examination in cervical lymphadenopathy and showed higher sensitivity and negative predictive value than FNAC," the authors write. "It is especially useful for screening for lymphoma."